Shell and Bone
by Jokie155
Summary: Celestia's time as ruler of Equestria comes to an end, her ascension to the Sun being widely celebrated. However, just mere hours after her departure, two ponies from a distant land who speak as one arrive, claiming that a great evil is coming, and that Equestria must be unified against it. But is there more to their plan than that...


((This is a sample chapter of what I have planned, I'll be finishing Crystals grow on Rainbows before moving onto a new project, I'd just like to see how you guys like this idea before I continue on.))

* * *

"Have faith Little Sister. I will be watching over all of you." The final words of Celestia. Looking nothing short of breathtaking in her full glory, the princess that all of Equestria loved and adored was immersed in a light that did not blind nor hurt. Luna watched as her older sister rose into the air from the balcony, vanishing into the aura of the Sun she now guarded. Her hair appropriately now took on small highlights that Celestia bore, smiling as Twilight Sparkle rested the crown onto her forehead. Strange to think that her recent return had been in response to being shunned by Equestria, and now she had been given the role to watch over them through day and night. Yet it was only the absence of her sister that she could think of.

"I will miss you greatly Celestia, more than any pony should ever have to." It was a sentiment shared by everyone, that she knew well enough. But that moment of reflection was passing, she could plainly see that the huge gathering of ponies in Canterlot were expecting her to speak. Princess Cadence stood to her left with the other members of the Royal Family, while her trusted friend Twilight stood to her right with the other Elements of Harmony. Clearing her throat nervously, she readied her royal speaking voice. This time it was actually appropriate to use, rather a relief given what happened the last time. "Citizens of Equestria, today is a day of celebration! While the departure of our beloved Princess Celestia into the skies is a great loss, we should all feel joy in her ascension. Let this day be marked every year, for thousands to come!"

Her head hung low as she stepped back all the same. It was critical that she appear confident in her new role, but she never had to deal with the reality that faced her now before. And it scared her deeply, knowing that she didn't have her sister to confide in. The crowd took her announcement very well however, the uproar of hoof stomps and loud exclamations of joy giving her back much needed confidence. "You did great Luna, I don't think anypony else could have raised their spirits like that, try not to doubt yourself too much." The dark blue princess gratefully returned the embrace that Twilight Sparkle gave, along with her own words of support. She would be made Princess of the Stars later in the afternoon, since in line with the legend, the Stars had supported the Moon's return. It seemed fitting that the young mare would take up the role that Luna occupied.

"It's party cannon time!" Pinkie jumped up onto the new, and far larger cannon she had provided for the occasion, almost falling off from the combination of the confetti flying out in a massive burst along with Rainbow Dash and her sonic rainboom. The others all had their own special performances prepared for later, but the pink and cyan mare's both decided that their choices worked best right after Luna's coronation. The colourful rain that fluttered down over Canterlot served to leave the crowd in awe, and provide Luna with the opportunity to take her leave in private with Twilight. Cadence and Shining Armor would handle the rest of the celebrations, the sister and the student both needed their time alone.

* * *

"Princess Twilight Sparkle sounds a little cheesy if you ask me." Dash scratched at the back of her head where the gold circlet was digging into her mane. Seven hours of non-stop partying, and outside it was still going on. Even Pinkie Pie was having trouble staying awake, belly full of cupcakes and fruit punch. Luna was taking the period of peace in the throne room to settle down into her new position. It still felt strange to sit where Celestia used to, eventually leading her to sit beside it for her own peace of mind. Rarity had been too busy admiring Twilight's dress to pay much attention to anything else.

"I think it's wonderful." Twilight smiled at Fluttershy's simple, yet meaningful compliment. It still felt strange to be wearing the Element of Magic all the time now. Just being considered a princess at all was an odd feeling. Going from a graduate student of Celestia, to a position so high she still couldn't quite believe. And her friends were there for her, out of everything, that mattered to her most. The fear that they would treat her differently seemed unsupported as well, especially given Rainbow Dash's jibe at her new title.

"I'll still be in Ponyville after all, unless you wanted me to stay in Canterlot, Dash." The pegasus promptly closed her mouth, flying over to what remained of the food. Applejack was slumped in front of half eaten apple fritters, gradually being devoured by the pink pony opposite. "Besides, I still have a lot of research that can be done, you can never stop learning!" 'Even without your mentor around anymore...' played out in her head afterwards. Most of the day she had spent in her room, or with Luna, just thinking. And yet she still had difficulty accepting the sudden turn of events.

The main doors opened at that point, the two Royal Guards standing to attention either side. Both Princesses stood up at the unexpected event, which woke Applejack and even brought Rarity into a still silence. In the open doorway stood two pale ponies, silent in their stride. The pegasus on the left was almost pure white, though it was her almost skeletal wings that drew the attention. Positioned on her flank was an eerie wishbone mark, combined with the wings it seemed pretty obvious what she identified with. The other, a sandy yellow pegasus with a horn that ran a jagged ridge around the spiral bore a typical sea shore sight, a horse conch shell on her own flank.

None of the occupants of the room spoke for a few moments, even Luna was taken by the strangeness of the two ponies. But they had entered the palace unchallenged, surely their intentions could not be hostile. Rainbow Dash discreetly circled around the pair for a moment, they wore nothing, like most ponies. And yet the silence continued while they moved closer to the throne. Finally stopping at the base of the stairs, their heads lowered in a bow with perfect precision. At that moment, Twilight saw the tiniest spark of light in their eyes, right in the centre of their pupils.

"We come on this Day of Rising, to welcome the new Guardian of the Sun. We are Shell, we are Bone, and we worship the Celestial beings in their glory and power." A chill went down Twilight's back. They spoke at the same time, with the same accent, the only real difference being a slight change of pitch between the two. The reasonable answer she concluded was rehearsal, their greeting had a very practised feel to it, and with enough time it wasn't unlikely that they could match their voices so accurately.

"Uh, hello..." Twilight glanced up at Luna, who promptly gathered her thoughts. And yet, she couldn't form any form of greeting in return. The two ponies had such a strange effect on her perception, everything but them came to a blur. And the voices... such precision and captivation.

"Greetings, Shell and Bone... I take it that you're referring to Princess Celestia's ascension." Worship was an unfamiliar concept to them, and certainly not one either of the two felt comfortable with. Sure just about everypony admired and respected the princesses for their hard work in caring for Equestria, but the two before them seemed to take it to another level.

"We seek the audience of Princess Luna." Once again, their unified voice was chilling to hear. The other ponies had begun to gather around at that point, including Pinkie Pie who dragged herself forward, not an easy task as she stopped to try and eat more. "We come from a land beyond the seas, where a great and terrible evil has turned it to dust. We seek to unify Equestria, to save it from a similar fate."

That caused everyone in the room to snap out of the dreamy effect the ponies induced. An evil that could turn lands to dust, none of the enemies they had encountered came even close to such malevolence and power. Destroying the land itself as opposed to merely ruling over the ponies was definitely something they had to fear. The shock was brief for Twilight, almost immediately she found herself determined to be sure of what they were saying.

"But how did you escape such a terrible fate? If what you say is true, then surely it would take a lot more than just unifying Equestria to stop it." Once again the synchronization of the ponies was demonstrated, both shaking their head to imply she wasn't fully aware of what they meant. Something didn't seem right to her, but it would be very foolish to ignore what was possibly a real threat.

"Our land was not destroyed by the evil, but by our kindred, divided by the evil. It corrupts, it breaks down bonds. We escaped with the last fragment of our unity, to preserve and regrow it. Equestria is in Harmony, but it may yet fall. We seek to ensure that it survives."


End file.
